Built right into a lush Taiwanese cliffside, the Eternal Spring Shrine (Changchun Shrine) in the Taroko Gorge combines the beauty of the surrounding natural features with calming temple architecture to create a serene and picturesque tribute to the workers who died while building an important mountain road.

Named after the waterfall that runs beneath it year round, the beautiful little temple was built in the late 1950s while the nearby Cross-Island Highway was still under construction. The road was built by Taiwanese veterans and tragically over 200 of them perished during the effort. These brave workers are remembered by a small temple and adjoining pavilion that are connected by the bridge spanning the titular falls, all of which makes up the shrine complex.

Visitors to the shrine who are willing to do a little exploring will find a number of wonders hidden behind the shrine as well including a cave with statues of a handful of Taoist gods, and trails leading to more secluded towers and sites hidden among the natural features.

The shrine has been damaged and nearly destroyed a couple of times due to landslides on its verdant mountainside, but each time, the site has been rebuilt and continues to stand as a beautiful monument to the human cost of progress.

Know Before You Go

Situated on a cliffside in Taroko National Park in Taiwan, in Hualien County near town of Xiulin.

Sign up for our newsletter and get the best of Atlas Obscura in your inbox.

Stay in Touch!

No purchase necessary. Winner will be selected at random on 03/01/2019. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Offer subject to change without notice. See contest rules for full details.

Add Some Wonder to Your Inbox

Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you.

We'd Like You to Like Us

We value your privacy

Atlas Obscura and our trusted partners use technology such as cookies on our website to personalise ads, support social media features, and analyse our traffic. Please click below to consent to the use of this technology while browsing our site. To learn more or withdraw consent, please visit our privacy policy.